Spotify has jumped on the ephemeral content bandwagon—and just in time for the holidays. The music streaming platform is publicly testing Snapchat-esque Stories, which have appeared for some users (myself included) in the mobile app.
First spotted by self-described "internetainerpreneur" TmarTn on Twitter, the initial set of fleeting films is housed in Spotify's "Christmas Hits" playlist. Tap to see the story, and watch artists Ava Max, Meghan Trainor, Kelly Clarkson and Brett Eldredge, Stevie Mackey and Jennifer Lopez, and Pentatonix share the stories behind their latest holiday tunes. (Even "Santa Baby" composer Phil Springer makes an appearance.)
A carbon copy of Snapchat and Instagram's Stories, Spotify's latest experiment lets users tap on the left or right side of the screen to quickly navigate through videos; click the three dots in the lower right corner to report a story.
It's unclear who has access to the feature; I was able to find it using my Premium account and iPhone. There's no word on when (or if) it will be widely available; Spotify did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.
What began as a Snapchat original has permeated social media. Instagram and Facebook launched their own versions in 2016 and 2017, respectively, while professional network LinkedIn began testing a similar function in September. And it's been less than two weeks since Twitter rolled out its own version of Stories, called Fleets.
This isn't even Spotify's first foray into the format. In 2019, it invited some musicians to share insights into their music-making process through a series of 24-hour clips.